Having been involved in Play for the Cure in 2008 and 2009, Harding University’s fall sports teams are participating again, this time in support of the Brumfield family (no relation to the professor).The football, volleyball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer teams are selling T-shirts to raise money.
Play for the Cure is a national fundraising effort to raise money for cancer research and support.
Tandi Morgan, the graduate assistant for the volleyball team, managed this year’s Play for the Cure. Morgan began planning this event early in September. She said she collaborated with the girls on the volleyball team because many of them had participated in the past.
When Morgan was presented with this responsibility, she said she wanted to give it a purpose.
“We could have raised money and donated it to cancer research, but I just wanted to put a face to the thing so people would care about it more,” Morgan said.
In search of a purpose for this year, Morgan went to Andrew Baker, director of the Mitchell Center for Leadership and Ministry, and told him her desire to support a family in need. Baker informed Morgan of the Brumfields and their situation.
Nick Brumfield was diagnosed with brain cancer in June 2010 at the age of 18. This year’s Play for the Cure was raising money for him and his family.
Morgan met the Brumfields two weeks prior to the beginning of the fundraising. By this point Nick Brumfield’s cancer had spread to his spine.
Morgan said the Brumfields were supposed to go in for treatment Monday through Friday the first full week of October. Joe Brumfield, the father, invited Morgan to meet with the family at some point during the week. Morgan said she was unable to go that week but she planned to go the following week.
The Brumfield family called Morgan on Thursday, Oct. 6, to let her know they were going to go home.
On Sunday, Oct. 9, Nick Brumfield passed away. He was 19.
Morgan received a text from Joe on Monday telling her Nick had been encouraged by what Harding was doing for him, and he had been faithful to the end.
“I think the text said Nick was faithful to the end, no fear, lots of love,” Morgan said. “I just thought that was a very good kind of description of him from what I’ve heard from everyone.”
The money raised from Play for the Cure is going to the Brumfield family for any lingering medical expenses, the funeral and anything else they need.
The T-shirts are the main source of fundraising, but the teams are having drawings for a variety of prizes such as gift cards and pizza, which will be announced. They also have an HP laptop they will be giving away at the football game on Saturday.
All the teams had home games during the second and final week of fundraising in which they sported some amount of pink to further support their cause.
